Graphic Design - Beginners

Graphic Design is the process of choosing, organising and combining words, images and space into a form that communicates and influences its audience. This short beginners course will show you how to transfer your ideas into digital documents ready for print and/or web. The course is suitable for anyone wishing to gain an insight into commercial graphic design whilst learning design principles and practical skills enabling them to produce industry standard artwork. It would also be suitable for small business owners who wish to learn how to create their own marketing material. Whilst previous experience in Adobe Photoshop and/or InDesign is not necessary, it is essential that you have basic computer skills. Students are encouraged to bring to class their own high resolution digital images in order to practice their image editing skills, however your tutor will be supplying lots of generic images to practice on should you not have any of your own. The primary operating system for this course will be Windows based, however, MacOS is completely transferable. You will find it useful to bring along a memory stick to save your work together with note taking materials and a sketch book. As part of the course, and to enhance your learning, you will be advised to view web based training sites, which you will access in your own time.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you will have learnt the basics of:
·how to define, understand and interpret what is ‘graphic design’ and the role of a graphic designer.
·how to generate and produce ideas.
·how to create an effective mood board.
·the basics of design principles.
·the basics of typography.
·how to use colour as a design tool.
·Examine a successful logo through case studies.
·The basics of how to edit and manipulate a digital photo in Adobe Photoshop.
·how to edit artwork combining image and text in Adobe InDesign. Including the production of multi-page documents using master page templates.
·the appropriateness of file formats: canvas size vs. file size, RGB vs. CMYK, JPEG/PNG/TIFF/EPS, high or low resolution. Bitmap vs. Vectors.
· how to produce a business card ready for print exploring the print buying process; examining the appropriateness of paper gsm selection, print finish and the production of print ready .pdf artwork files.
· how to ‘package’ your artwork for archiving purposes.br· how to produce visual content for social media and websites at the correct dimension and resolution.
NOTE: Whilst this course covers the basics of design principles which can be applied to many creative disciplines, there is no scope to cover web design, infographics or the use of Adobe Illustrator, which is used in the production of vector graphics.

Your Tutor

Ben Polkinghorne
Ben Polkinghorne has over 13 years’ experience as a Graphic Designer and 4 years teaching graphic design within the industry. Being Adobe Certified with expert knowledge of Adobe design programmes such as InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat and Muse, Ben is technically able to help in both print and digital design, as well as being able to share a wealth of design knowledge to the class. Still currently working full-time as a graphic designer in Cambridge, Ben will be able to bring his ‘real-world’ experience into the classroom.

Fees

Tuition fees:
£115.00
Materials Costs:
£0.00
Total Cost:
£115.00

Sessions

No. of sessions:
8

Day

Date

Times

Thu

09/05/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

16/05/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

23/05/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

06/06/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

13/06/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

20/06/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

27/06/2019

18:30-21:00

Thu

04/07/2019

18:30-21:00

Your next step

Click here to Enrol Online Pay by credit or debit card over the telephone. Please call the Adult Education Office on 01223 278002 Monday to Thursday 9am to 7pm and Friday 9am to 4pm during term time and Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm out of term time.

Pay by cheque, made payable to Hills Road Sixth Form College. Please send you cheque together with a completed enrolment form, which you can find by clicking on ‘How to Enrol’ on the left hand side, to the Adult Education Office, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PE. Please enclose a SAE if you require a receipt.

Please note full refunds can only be made if a class is cancelled or closed at the discretion of the College, or if you cancel your enrolment no less than two weeks before the course starts.